Button-feeding mechanism for shoe-button-attaching machines.



J. F. REED, BUTTON FEEDING MECHANISM FOR SHOE BUTTON ATTACHING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV, 18, 1916. 1,3

M u. Patented July 10, 1917.

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J. F. REED.

BUTTON FEEDING MECHANISM FOR SHOE BUTTON ATTACHING MACHlN ES.

APPLICATION HLED NOV. 1B, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

J. F. REED.

BUTTON FEEDING MECHANISM FOR SHOE BUTTON ATTACHTNG MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 18. I915.

Patented July 10, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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' JOHN F. REED, OF O'ITUMWA, IOWA, ASSIGNOR TO J. U. YESSLER, OF LINNCOUNTY,

IOWA.

BUTTON-FEEDING MECHANISM FOR SHOE-BUTTON-ATTACHING MACHINES.

Application filed November 18, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. REED, a citi- Zen of the United States,residing at Ottumwa, in the county of Wapello and State of Iowa, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Button-Feeding Mechanism forShoe Button- Attaching Machines, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to a button feeding mechanism for shoe buttonattaching machines.

One object of the invention is to provide a button feed mechanismembodying a primary button guide or raceway which may be automaticallysupplied from a hopper for general use and a secondary button guideorraceway which may be hand fed for occasional use, so that the machinemay be normally employed for feeding and setting styles or kinds ofbuttons in most common use, and also employed when desired for feedingand setting fancy or special buttons or those not so commonly used.

A further object of the invention is to provide a button feed fingerwhich is adapted to be set for interchangeable use with the differentbutton guides or raceways, for, feeding buttons from either to a stapleforming and button setting machanism common to both guides or raceways.

A. further object of the invention is to provide novel means foraccurately guiding the buttons and. feed finger, for positively insuringthe engagement of the finger with the buttons, and for returning to thehopper any buttons which are not in position for a feed action, therebyobviating liability of choking or jamming of the buttons in the primaryguide or raceway.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of thefeatures of construction, combination and arrangement of partshereinafter fully described and claimed, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly insection, of the head of a shoe button attach ing machine embodying myimproved button feed mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof.

Fig. 8 is a vertical longitudinal section.

Fig 4 is a vertical transverse section Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 10, 191?.

Serial No. 132,133.

through the feed hopper, showing the button lifter in normal position.

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the button lifter in raised or feedingposition.

Fig. 6 is a detail view of the wiper or rejector.

Fig. 7 is a transverse section through the same and the upper portion ofthe primary gulde or raceway.

Fig. 8 is a perspective View of the hopper, gulde or raceways and guideelements cooperating therewith separated but arranged in proper relativepositions.

Fig. 9 is a detail transverse section through the button guides orraceways, showing in full and dotted lines the interchangeable action ofthe feed finger.

The button feeding mechanism herein disclosed is adapted for general usein con nection with any suitable type 01. staple forming and settingmechanism, but is preferably, employed in conjunction with the type ofstaple forming and setting mechanism disclosed in my copendingapplication No. 133,925, filed Nov. 28, 1916. In the present applicationI have shown and described so much only of the staple forming andsetting mechanism as will aid in securing a full understanding of theconstruction and operation of the button feed mechanism, a full andspecific showing and description of the staple forming and settingmechanism being regarded as unnecessary.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the head of the machine which issuitably secured to a base or table 2, mounted in the usual manner upona frame column or pedestal 3 carried by a base 4:, which base pivotallysupports a main actuating or foot lever 5 normally held raised orretracted by a coiled spring (3.

Mounted upon the head 1 is a hopper 7 for containing the shoe buttonscustomarily used, which hopper communicates at its upper forward portionwith a primary guide groove or raceway 8, down which the but tonssupplied thereto slide by gravity to detent engaging position. Thisgroove or raceway 8 has a fixed receiving portion 9 disposed in theupper front portion of the hopper, and with which is adapted to aline aninclined button lifter bar 10 mounted for vertical movement in thehopper, and adapted to collect and raise a number of buttons to feed bygravity to the portion 9 of the raceway and thence down the raceway bygravity successively to detent engaging position. The raceway portionsand lifter bar are provided with upper plane surfaces against which theflat base of the button rests and slides, and the grooves in saidraceway and lifter bar are designed to receive and accommodate the eyesof the buttons. returning to the hopper any buttons upon the parts 9 and10 which are improperly positioned, I provide upon the hopper above theportion 9 a wiper or rejector 11 comprising a block of wedge-form havinga recessed under surface 12 forming a cam face and adapted to receivethe eyes of any buttons which are inverted, said cam surface and theinclined side of the wiper block acting to force the buttons laterallyoff the receiving section 9 from which they fall into the hopper to belater fed up. The groove or raceway 9 is preferably arranged parallelwith a secondary button guide groove or raceway 13 extending at itsreceiving end alongside the hopper, the said raceways converging attheir lower ends into a single guide slot 1%, whereby buttons fromeither raceway may be directed into position to be engaged by a buttonfeeder and fed forward to stapling position. The hopper," button andlifter and guideway 8 are employed for feeding buttons commonly used,while the guide groove or raceway 13 may be employed for a hand feed insupplying special buttons of various kinds not so commonly used.

Arranged adjacent to the lower ends of the guideways are retainingsprings or spring detents 1.5, one for each guideway, which detents areprovided at their free ends with stop projections 16 extending over theraceways' and adapted to engage and hold the lowermost button of acolumn of buttons in position to be engaged and moved forward to stapleforming position by the action of a button feed finger. Disposed abovethe major portion of the guideways is a cover plate 17 having-a forkedlower end forming spaced. guide fingers 18 and a slot or opening 19 inrear of and communicating with the space between the tips of saidfingers, said slot being disposed above the'delivery groove 14. Disposedupon the slotted portion of the plate is a button finger guide ordeflector 19 having side guide or deflector flanges 20 and 21 and havingthe forward edge of its body portion cut out to form recesses 22 and 23and an interposed V-shaped deflector 24, said recesses being adapted tooverlie the rear portion of the slot 19 and the converging lower endsFor the purpose of rejecting or pose buttons in said grooves so as to beengaged and moved forward by the action of the but-ton feed finger 25.7V r The button feed finger 25 is provided with a lower finger portionproper 26 and: an upper arm 27, the portion being provided at its loweredge with a curved'recess 2,8 to engage the head of a button disposed inposition to be fed, as shown in Fig. 3. The finger is pivotally mountedto swing laterally at a point between its portions 26 and 27, asindic'ated at 29, upon a rodor axle member 30,'so that the finger may bedisposed for cooperation with either one of the grooves 8 or 13. The rodor axle member 30 is pivotally mounted in a hearing member 31 carried bya button feed lever .32, in such a manner as to permit the .fingertohave sw nging movements for a back and forth sliding action over theguideways, for feeding a button out or engagement with one of thestops16, as indicated in Fig. 3, forwardly to stapling position shown in Fig.1, the finger being allowed 1ts pivotal connection to maintainengagement with the button and move through a substantially straightpath while the lever 32 swings in an arcuate path. A coiled spring 33surrounds the rod 30 and is ter-' minally connected with the rod andbearing member. 31 to exert pressure on'said rod so as to constantly,but yieldingly, force the finger downward'toward the raceways. A secondspring 3 1 is connected atone end with the rod 30 and at its oppositeend with a pivoted finger shifter 35 having a finger piece 36, saidshifter being movable to engage the finger proper or its arm 27 above orbelow the pivotalconnection 29, to hold .the finger 26 pressed laterallyin one direction or the other beyond a straight vertical position, toadapt the finger to engage a button at the lower end of either groove 8*or 13', the spring 3%, while maintaining the finger normally in eitheroperative position,

allowing it to have lateral movement for travel between the raceway anddelivery groove, as will be readily understood. A button disposed ineither raceway may therefore be engaged and fed forward through theinclined lower end of the groove and into the delivery groove 14. Thefinger 1 1s guided in its motlons between the grooves 1 8 and 14; by theflange 20 and adjacent side of the deflector 24, in which operation thenotched end of the finger moves through the recess 22, and the finger isguided between the grooves 13 and 14 by the flange 21 and adjacent sideof the deflector 2 1, in

'which operation the finger moves through the recess 23. Through thiscapability of ad ustment and yieldmg vertical andlateral movements ofthe finger, it will be evident thatit may be set for feeding buttonsfrom elther feed groove or raceway at'will, and

to follow the lines of the grooves for deliver-ing a button from eitherraceway into the groove 14 for the staple forming and setting actions.When the finger is disposed to hold the button in staple formingposition, as shown in Fig. 1, it is arranged between the extremities 18of the cover 17, and in such position is held from lateral movement, sothat it will firmly hold the button in position for the passage throughits eye of the wire from which the staple is to be formed.

The button feed lever 32 is pivotally mounted upon the head frame, forbackward and forward swinging movements, as indicated at 37 and has alower arm provided with a pin or stud 38 journaled therein and which isslotted or formed with an opening to slidably receive a motiontransmitting rod 39, and said rod being pivotally connected at one end,as shown at 39, with one of the arms 40 of a bell crank lever 41, whicharm 40 is coupled by a connecting rod 42 to the depressible actuatinglever 5. The rod 39 extends at both ends beyond the pivot 38 and carriescoiled springs 4:3 and 41-4, the spring i3 being arranged between thepin 38 and a nut or adjustable abutment 15 on the lower forward end ofsaid rod 39, while the spring L4 is disposed on the upper end of saidrod 39 between the pin 38 and a suitable abutment member 46. The rod 39is adapted when drawn downwardly by depression of the lever 5 to slidedownwardly and forwardly and thereby tension. the spring 4A, so as totransmit motion through said spring and the pin 38 to swing the upperarm of the button feed lever and the button feed finger carried therebyrearwardly to button engaging position as shown in Fig. 3. The springs43 and 4 1 further serve to take up and compensate for any looseness dueto wear,- and thus insure a proper working action of the parts, and alsoto permit the feed lever and finger to have a normal forward feed motionfor feeding a button to stapling position, as well as an extended orabnormal motion for a purpose hereinafter described. The button lifter10 is pivotally connected by a link 17 with another arm 48 of the bellcrank lever,whereby when the finger is moved rearwardly the lifter willbe elevated to carry a supply of buttons to the raceway portion 9, whilewhen the finger is moved forwardly the lifter will be depressed for thenext lifting action.

The link 47 is provided at its upper end with a slot 418 engaging a pinor screw 19 on the bar. A spring 50 is arranged to bear againstthe'upper end of the link so as to normally maintain the pin, exceptwhen the link is lifted, at the upper end of the slot 48, said springbeing carried by a depending portion of the lifter. The constructiondescribed provides a yielding lost-motion connection between the linkand lifter, whereby the lifter may be completely ele vated into positionto aline with the raceway portion 9 before the button feed fingercompletes its backward stroke, the link at? continuing to move after thelifter is elevated to its fullest extent to the limit allowed by theslot l8. Thus the lifter is adapted to remain stationary for a givenperiod during the retractive motion of the feed finger, so as to allowthe buttons lifted thereby to travel fully into the raceway before thelifter is depressed and the feed finger moved forwardly on its feedmotion.

The eye of the button is adapted when moved forwardly to staple formingposition to engage a staple forming anvil 51 upon a vertically movableanvil and stop bar 52 normally held elevated by a spring 53 and having abeveled abutment surface 54, in which position of the parts a section ofwire to form the staple is passed through the eye of the button. Thiswire is engaged, on the ensuing retractive motion of the feed finger bystaple forming and setting mechanism including dies, generally indicatedat 55, which first form the staple against the anvil 51 and then clenchthe staple against the setting die 56, whereby the button is movedforwardly to a setting position and fastened to the shoe or otherfabric, one of the dies having a beveled abutment surface 57 to engagethe abutment surface 54: of the member 52 whereby said member 52 andanvil 51 will be moved out of the path of the dies on the settingmotion. The dies 55 are operated in timed accord; with the other partsby a gear connection with the bell crank lever, but I have not deemed itnecessary to describe the staple forming and setting mechanism indetail, as the same is not necessary to the disclosure and forms no partof the present invention. It may be stated, however, that the purpose inallowing the button feed lever 32 to have an we tended forward motionbeyond the position shown in Fig. 1, is to permit said button feed lever32 to come forwardly to an extent to stop the motion of a wire feeddevice, to hold the same from a wire feed motion, as fully set forth inmy aforesaid copending application. In this operation the yieldinglost-motion connection between the bell crank lever and the button feedlever permits of the operation of the die elements, in cooperation witha similar connection be tween the bell crank lever and die elements, toavoid injury to the working parts of the machine on such stop motionaction.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings,the construction and mode of operation of my improved button feedingmechanism will be readily understood, and it will be seen that theinvention provides a button feeding mechamsm which is slmple ofconstruction, rehtaking up all lost-motion in the button feed mechanismdue to .wear and for permitting the certain working motions of partswithout lnjury to, others, whereby advantageous results are gained. Theinvention also provides for the more reliable and efficient feed of thebutton from the hopper to the button'raceway, whereby proper feeding ofthe buttons is insured.

I claim 1. Ina button attaching machine, a plurality of relativelystationary raceways having an outlet, and a button feeding deviceadjustable for coiiperation with either of said raceways.

2. In a button attaching machine, a pair of button raceways, arranged toconverge into a common outlet, a button feed lever, a button feed fingercarried by the lever, and means for adjusting said finger forcooperation with either of said raceways to feed the buttons therefromto said outlet.

3. In a button attaching machine, a pair of raceways having a commonoutlet, a button feed lever, a button feed finger pivotally mounted uponthe lever for swinging movement in a direction longitudinally of theraceways, means pivotally mounting the finger upon said lever foryielding lateral motion, and means for adjusting the finger forcooperation with either of said raceways.

4. In a button attaching machine, a pair of raceways having a commonoutlet, a button feed lever, a yieldingly mounted button feed fingercarried by said lever, said finger being pivotally movable bothlongitudinally and laterally, springs controlling the yielding action ofsaid finger, and means for ad justing the finger for cobperation witheither raceway.

5. In a button attaching machine, a pair of button raceways having acommon outlet, a button feed lever, a finger pivotally mounted upon thelever for longitudinal and lateral swinging movements, springscontrolling the action of 'said finger, means for adjusting the fingerfor coiiperation with either raceway, and guiding means for guiding thefinger between the outlet and raceways in the feed motions of saidfinger.

6. In a button attaching machine, a hopper, a raceway communicatingtherewith, a second raceway outside the hopper, said raceways beingrelatively stationary and having a common outlet in constantcommunication therewith, and feed mechanism per havin including a feedfinger adjustable for co? operation with either raceway, and a feeddevice within the hopper for conveying buttons to the racewaycommunicating therewith.

7. In a button attaching machine, a hopper, a raceway communicatingtherewith,a button lifter arranged within the hopper, a pivoted member,an actuating lever therefor, a slot and pin connection between thelifter and the member, and a spring engaging said member for controllingsaid connection. r v

8,. In a button attaching machine, a machine head having a hopper, abutton raceway leading therefrom, a second button raceway arranged to befed by hand inclependently of the hopper, button feed mechanism in thehopper, a feed device c06perating with the raceways, and adjustable foruse with either raceway, and means for conjointly operating the buttonfeeding means andfeed finger.

9. In a button attaching machine, a hopan outlet, a grooved racewayhaving a Xed portion disposed within the hopper and registering with theoutlet, a lifter movable within the hopper, an actuat-' ing deviceincludinga pivoted lever, a link pivotedat one end to said lever andhaving a slotand pin connection at its opposite end with the buttonelevating device, and a spring fixed to the lifter and bearing upon thelatter-named end of the link to control said slot and pin connection. 7

10. In a button attaching machine, and in combination with a raceway, abutton feed finger, a lever carrying said finger, an actuating lever, arod pivotally connecting said'levers and also slidably connected with105 the button feed lever, and springs disposed upon the rod on oppositesides of the piv otalconnection between the same and the button feedlever and acting as motion transmitting devices. 7

11. In a button attaching machine, a plu- "rality of button racewayshaving a common lel therewith, a button feed finger pivoted to swinglongitudinally and laterally upon said feed lever, springs controllingthe pivotal movements of'said feed finger, means for adjusting thefinger forcoiiperation with either raceway and for movements between thesaid raceway and outlet, and means for transmitting motion to the,button feed lever. .13. In a button attaching machine, a pair ofrelatively stationary button raceways movable longitudinally of theraceways and supported for pivotal lateral adjustment for cooperationwith either raceway, and means for setting said finger for cooperationwith either raceway.

14. In a button attaching, machine, a pair of relatively stationaryraceways leading to a common outlet, a button feed lever, a button feedfinger pivotally supported upon the lever for longitudinal and lateralswinging movements, and means for adjusting said finger laterally forcooperation with either raceway.

15. In a button attaching machine, a hopper having an outlet, a groovedraceway having a fixed portion disposed within the hopper adjacent tosaid outlet, a lifter vertically movable within the hopper, button feedmechanism including said lifter, and a cam device upon the front of thehopper, comprising a block having an inclined outer face and a recessedunder surface having an inclined portion opening through said inclinedface, for deflecting from the stationary portion of the racewayimproperly positioned buttons.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JOHN F. REED.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

